Best Buy has long forced pushed sold offered a computer “Optimization” service when you buy a new pc/laptop, or take one in for repair check that.  In fact, they have gone so far as to “pre optimize” pc’s and laptops that are on sale so you are left with no choice but to pay the $39 fee because by the time you come along to buy your computer, all of the non-optimized ones are already gone.  How convenient.  Never mind the fact that if this were really true, that in every case the non-optimized units flew out the door before the optimized ones, that alone should tell Best Buy that this service offering is ridiculous.  But, I digress.

Before we go any further, let me explain and get you up to speed (if you don’t already know, that is).  The “Optimization” service that Best Buy is forcing down peoples throats is nothing but some basic maintenance tasks that almost anyone can do, especially with a little direction from a friend, Google or a handy dandy cheat sheet, etc.  We aren’t talking hard core hacking here, instead it’s along the lines of running Windows Update, removing the trial ware garbage that seems to get preloaded on all new PC’s these days, stuff like that.  Stuff that would get done anyway and that is definitely not hard to do, not complicated and NOT worth $39 bucks!

So, nowadays, after getting loads of bad press for these shoddy practices, thanks in no small part to The Consumerist who has been educating consumers for a long time now, Best Buy has finally decided to do something about this sham of a service.

• Have they stopped doing it?  No.
• Have they started offering it for free since it’s something any chimpanzee (Read: Geek Squad) can do?  No.
• Have they decided the customer is just as well off doing it themselves and even printed up some handy instructions on 3×5 note cards?  No.
• Have they decided to keep the crappy service and ridiculous price the same and just change the name hoping no one will notice? DING DING DING DING

Let’s tell them what they have won Al!  Well, we would tell you what you won if we had Al, and if you had actually won anything, and if this were really a game show of some kind.  Again, I digress.  The point is that instead of fixing the problem and making changes that are good for the customer, Best Buy and their Geek Squad have simply changed the name of the problem in hopes of confusing people, thinking that maybe the customer won’t notice or that they might trick them into thinking they aren’t actually ripping anyone off.  Alas, that isn’t the case, and Best Buy/Geek Squad will keep on taking advantage of the masses that don’t know any better.

This is where you come in folks, spread the word and tell everyone you know, let’s make sure that big stores like Best Buy know that we aren’t going to take their crap anymore.  Fighting back with your wallet or pocket book is the only way to make them take notice.  Thank you Consumerist for looking out for us little guys and helping to keep us from getting reamed.

Read more about the “Optimization” service here.

Read the article about changing the service name here.